What’s next for Greig

Federal prosecutors and Brockton defense attorney Kevin Reddington have filed papers in court confirming that Catherine Greig, girlfriend of James “Whitey” Bulger, will plead guilty to a single count of harboring a fugitive and two new counts of conspiracy to commit identity fraud.

It appears a near certainty that Greig will enter her guilty plea on Wednesday. The judge, Douglas P. Woodlock, will conduct a hearing and determine if the 60-year-old’s decision to admit her guilt is being done knowingly and voluntarily. If the judge accepts the plea, he will then likely mark the case up for a sentencing hearing in 90 days. During that period, a sentencing report will be prepared and presented to the court by federal probation officials, along with written arguments from the prosecution and defense.

If Greig and members of the alleged victims’ families choose to address the court, they would do so at the sentencing hearing and not this week’s change of plea date.

Department of Justice lawyers in California and Massachusetts have agreed that if Greig complies with the terms of an 11-page plea agreement made public on March 12, she will not have to answer for any additional crimes . That means Greig won’t be charged in connection with the firearms allegedly recovered from the couple’s Santa Monica apartment or any other activities on the left coast. The agreement would not cover crimes Greig may have committed in Louisiana or any other jurisdiction.

Interestingly, the parties have no agreement on where Greig’s offenses fit within the sentencing guidelines. They also have not reached a deal on what her prison term will be, although it is expected to fall somewhere in the three year range.

As expected, the plea agreement does not require Greig to cooperate in the prosecution of her boyfriend. At this point, there is virtually no chance that Greig takes the stand as a prosecution or defense witness in U.S. v. Bulger.